Calgary has been my home for my entire life and there are so many wonderful things about this city. It is close to one of the most beautiful mountain ranges in the world and is nestled alongside the Bow River giving it some rather wonderful scenery to compliment the friendly nature of the city.
There is much to do in and around this great city whether it is enjoying a stroll down 17th Ave, a retro experience in re-imaged Inglewood, a walk through the many natural paths of Fish Creek Park or a quick 40 minute drive to Kananaskis Country for some incredible hiking and scenery, then a hop skip and and a jump to the sights of Canmore and Banff. Of course we can’t forget the many experiences to the south, north and east of us where dinosaurs used to roam, the beautiful rolling hills of Longview and the amazing lakes to the North.
It really doesn’t get better than that, all of this to enjoy year round with some of the best skiing in the world.
Where I have the biggest issue in this great city of ours is the price of everyday living. In comparison to other Canadian cities like Montreal, London, Abbotsford and Gatineau, we pay much more just for basic everyday living. Our homes cost much more no matter if you rent or own, food is crazy priced here in comparison and believe me I have checked. Our liquor is off the scale expensive in spite of the privatization of the industry, we pay considerably more for basic utilities and general consumables and the list goes on.
Then you take into account the frivolous spending like dining out and entertainment and once again we pay far to much in comparison to our fellow Canadians in particular in Quebec. Sure they have the PST, but at the end of the day, even without the PST, we pay much more to live in this beautiful city of ours.
The culprit is the oil and gas industry. It is huge here in Alberta and most folks that work in this sector are paid very well, but what is forgotten is most are not paid that kind of money. For the average income earner in Calgary it does not make sense to live here, you are will get much more bang for your buck elsewhere. This city is for those of us making the big 6 figure salaries who can afford the astronomical cost of living in the fair city. But most of us put up with this and continue to pay the outrageous costs and put ourselves in debt to do so.
We then read articles stating that Albertan’s carry the highest level of debt of any other Canadian city and they wonder why. But we are a complacent bunch and just go with it like it is completely normal to live outside your means. There is a prevalent mindset here that we are a wealthy province but that is only true of a very small percentage of us but for some reason, that is the bar in which prices are set as if we all earn $150,000 or more. I can attest to this after a dinner experience with my girl friend this past Saturday night. We went to “The Guild” restaurant downtown and for what we got it was way over priced for just an average experience. Who pays $70.00 just for themselves for a so so dish of pasta and a couple drinks? Well I did and regret it today.
The vast majority of us need to be far more vocal and start calling this stuff out so we can all enjoy a living here, not wondering when our next paycheck arrives. I think we all including the rich would be far better off if we didn’t have to live like we are royalty and pay royalty prices. We need to embrace reality and insist we want to live within our means.
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